Are The Moral Dilemmas In The Things They Carried By Tim O Brien

America is associated with words such as freedom, and bravery but the american experience is much deeper, it's about self-discovery, opportunity, and discovering what being an American really means.The American experience is unique and varies for each person whether it be a soldier, an immigrant, or a criminal turned civil rights activist. In both The things They Carried by Tim O’brien and The Autobiography of Malcolm X, the main characters experience challenges and self-discovery through their own American experiences. These experiences include struggle with moral dilemmas, religion and achieving the american dream.
In both Malcolm X and The Things They Carried the characters face moral dilemmas throughout their American experiences. Tim

In The Things They Carried, the American dream is the idea that soldiers are brave and that war is honorable and just. However, according to O’brien, this dream is unachievable because the idea that war is honorable and brave is just a mirage so people don't have to deal with truth of war. He states, “They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor.”(20). O’brien explains that soldiers are not brave, but embarrassed not be. He also explains that war isn’t honorable or just, it's gruesome and scary. O’brien talks about how dying in war isn't glorious, he states “You know you're about to die. And it's not a movie and you aren't a hero and all you can do is whimper and wait”(22). This again adds to idea that war isn't what it's portrayed to be, but a scary and realistic death. Overall O’brien proves that the American dream of dying like a hero in war isn't achievable, because all soldiers are scared, even if they don't show it. On the other hand, Malcolm X achieves his American dream when he goes from a criminal to a civil right activist and a minister. The first part of his American dream is education, Malcolm wanted to be a lawyer when he was younger, but was told he couldn't become one so he never finished school. Later, when Malcolm is in prison, he starts to read the dictionary and other books. He states “... until I left that prison, in every free moment I had … I was reading … moths passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned, In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life”(176). Malcolm X finally finds freedom when he starts to read and expose his mind to the world's ideas. In this moment Malcolm X achieves his American